


Restart

by MidnightKitKat



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Ladybug gets it right the first time, Marinette is 16 when it starts, Stoneheart doesnt happen twice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2020-10-27 23:10:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20768474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightKitKat/pseuds/MidnightKitKat
Summary: When you become a superhero, you learn a lot of new things. You learn the freedom of running on rooftops, the power of being able to restart everything, the weight of the world on your shoulders. And hardest of all, realizing that you never know who you can trust, not when the person next to you can turn into your worst enemy in a blink of an eye.





	1. Prologue: Stoneheart

The first day of school was always a stressful one. Waking up late and only having a few minutes to make it to school only made it worse. Marinette groaned and quickly got out of bed, rushing to get changed and slip her hair into twin-tails. 

“Marinette! You're gonna be late!” Her mom called from downstairs. 

“I know! I’m almost ready!” she yelled back, grabbing her backpack, which she thankfully had the foresight to pack last night, and hurried down the stepladder.   
Her mom had set out the box of cereal for her, but seeing as she only had a few minutes before class started, she decided to just grab a banana and a granola bar to eat on the way there. Slipping on a pair of flats, she went downstairs into the bakery to say goodbye to her parents. 

“Bye Maman! Bye Papa!”

“Wait Marinette!” her papa called, hurrying out from the kitchen and to where his daughter was. “I made Macarons For you to give to your classmates. Have a wonderful day sweetheart, i can't wait to hear all about it.”

Marinette couldn't help but smile when she took the box from her papa, looking up at him and feeling her nervousness from earlier fade away. “Thanks Papa. I’d give you a hug, but id rather not show up to school covered in flour,” she teased.

“How about a high five then?” Grinning, she nodded, and with a high five from her dad,she was off to school. 

She was so relieved that her family’s bakery was next to the school, it made it easier to run over when she was running late. To her dismay, she’d just missed the crosslight, which meant she'd have to wait a minute before she could continue. Sighing, she pulled out her phone to scroll online a little when she noticed something ahead of her. 

An old man in a Hawaiian shirt with a cane was walking down the street, right as a car was speeding towards him. Her eyes widened with horror, and she quickly ran forward and into the street.

“Look out!” she yelled as she quickly pulled him out of the way. She stumbled on the cobblestone road and fell after she pulled him out of the street, grunting as she fell on the hard pavement. Groaning, she sat up and looked over to see her box of Macarons open and laying down on the ground. “No no no no no!” 

Picking up the box, she looked inside and saw that only a few macarons had been spared,the rest crumbled or in pieces. So much for a present for her classmates, she doubted she'd be able to give five people these, much less her whole class.

“Thank you young miss,” a voice with a heavy accent spoke from behind her. Looking up,she saw the older man behind her, safe and not a scratch on him. “Are your cookies okay?” 

Offering a small smile, she stood up and held out the box for him to see. “A few are, but i'd rather have broken cookies than you being hurt. Would you like one?”

The man smiled and nodded, taking a macaron and biting into it. He hummed softly at the taste, nodding his head in approval. “These are wonderful! Thank you for saving me miss..”

“Marinette. And it's no biggie, i'm just glad you're okay. I have to go, but stay safe okay?” Waving to the man, she quickly ran the rest of the way to school.

When she got to class, she was relieved to see she had a few minutes before class started. To her relief, her usual seat was open, and she walked up the stairs to sit in the second row. Setting her box on the table, she put her backpack down on the bench, leaning back and sighing. “I made it,” she smiled, taking a moment to relax and calm down from this morning’s business and excitement. 

“Morning Marinette,” Ivan’s voice came from behind her. Leaning back so her head was against his desk, she smiled up at him.

“Morning Ivan. Are you sitting alone this year?”

“Yeah, Alix managed to get Mylene before I could,” he chuckled, shrugging. “I'm okay being alone though, I’ll probably have headphones in all year long.”

She chuckled at that, knowing that Ivan probably would. He wasn't the type to care whether he sat alone or not, especially if it meant he could listen to his music without having to worry about Mylene trying to whisper to him and him not hearing her. “Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out then.”

“What about you? You have a desk partner?”

She shook her head. “Not unless I'm assigned one probably. Honestly though i wont mind sitting alone as long as-

“Well if it isn't Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Speak of the devil; it was like Even the thought of the rich blonde managed to summon her. Sitting up, she looked down at the row in front of her to meet a pair of pretty blue eyes. At least, they would be pretty if they weren't narrowed with a smirk on her glossy lips. 

“Hello Chloe. Can I help you?” she asked, bored of her already.

“Actually you can, by moving out of this seat. This is my seat.”

Her seat? There were no seating arrangements yet though!

“But Chloe, this is my seat.” She pointed out. “I’ve always sat here!”

Chloe’s smirk widened, and she flipped her ponytail, looking down at her. “Exactly. You always sit here. Time for a change don't you think? Now go on and shoot, you can sit next to the new girl if you want.”

Marinette looked over at the next row over, seeing a girl with red and brown hair looking up at them, watching the two talk. “You know Chloe, i think im good-

“Did I say you had a choice? Go! And take your cheap cookies with you.” 

Before she had a chance to even stand up, Chloe took her box of cookies and threw them over to the other side of the room. The whole room froze, and Marinette watched as the box landed on the floor. Feeling everyone’s eyes on her, she sighed in defeat and grabbed her bag, sliding off of the bench and over to the front row. 

“I'm sorry about all of this,” she whispered softly to the girl sitting next to her. 

Shaking her head, the girl stood up and picked up the box from the ground before sitting back down and offering it to her. “Hey it's okay, it's not like its your fault. Here, these are yours right Marinette?”

Looking up in surprise,she nodded, slowly taking the box from her. “Y-yeah, it is… but how did you know my name?” she asked in confusion.

With a chuckle, the girl pointed up at her old seat, where Chloe and her friend Sabrina were sitting down in what used to be her seat. “Miss loudmouth over there said your name, it got my attention. What’s her deal anyways?

“You mean Chloe? Where do I even start?” she groaned, causing the brunette to laugh. 

“Its cool girl,we got all year for you to give me the story. I’m Alya.”

Smiling, she opened up the box and offered her one of the last two macarons that had survived chloe’s throw. “Nice to meet you Alya, I'm Marinette, but you knew that already,” she chuckled. 

Alya’s eyes lit up at the sight of the macarons, her smile brightening. “Can I really have one?” after getting a nod from Marinette, Alya quickly took the macaron and eagerly bit into it. She watched as her entire expression lit up with delight, and Marinette grinned as she heard her happy hum. “These are so good! Where did you get these?” 

“My dad made them! I could ask him to make you some more tomorrow if you want.” 

Alya looked as though she’d just seen God himself, staring at her in awe. “Uh, Alya?” After Waving her hand in her face Alya snapped out of it, laughing and adjusting her glasses. “Sorry girl, didn't mean to zone out on you. I’d love that! I’m guessing your parents like to bake?”

Chuckling, she closed the box and set it down in her bag, nodding her head. “You could say that. It helps that they run a bakery.”

She didn't think that her eyes could get any wider, but before they could continue, Ms. Bustier walked into the room, setting her bag down underneath her desk at the front of the classroom. Marinette quickly turned to face the front, snickering softly as the brunette quickly wolfed down the rest of the cookie.

“Good morning class!” The redhead said cheerfully. How the teacher managed to be so cheerful so early in the morning, she had no idea.

“Now, let's see about these seating arrangements.. Nino? How about you sit in the front this year?”

Looking to the back of the class, she saw the sleep deprived DJgrab his bag and walk sluggishly to the front of the class, plopping down in his seat. He looked over, and smiled once he met Marinette’s gaze. 

“Felix? Wouldn't you like to sit in the front? There's still a few seats left.”

Felix? That name didn't ring a bell. It seemed the rest of the class didn't know him either, as when she looked back to see who it was, they were all looking around too. 

Sitting in the very back of the class next to the window, was a pale boy with pale blond blond hair, styled back and out of his face. He was dressed far better than her classmates or herself, in a grey vest and shirt, with a teal tie. He looked annoyed by the sudden attention from the class, but the expression changed so quickly to a neutral one that Marinette wasn't sure if she had imagined it or not. 

“No thank you Miss, I prefer to work on my own,” He answered smoothly. His tone was quiet, but his voice was projecting across the room. It was as though he was used to talking across long distances.  _ I wonder if he's an actor, _ she thought to herself.

The teacher frowned, looking around before her eyes landed on Ivan. “Why don't you sit next to Ivan? He doesn't have a partner yet.”

Felix paused, the tone in Ms. Bustier’s voice wasn't asking, she was just politely ordering him to move. Standing up and grabbing his bag, he moved down to sit behind Chloe, and next to Ivan. 

Now satisfied with the seating arrangements, Ms. Bustier began her usual beginning of the year speech. Mainly listing out the rules and what they would cover in the class. Marinette had had her before, so she already knew all of this, and mainly zoned out during it all.

. . .

It felt as though it had been an eternity before lunch arrived. Marinette was relieved by the time it came, tired of sitting down all day. 

“Hey Alya, want me to show you around real quick?” She asked, looking over as she packed away her things.

“Really? That’d be great! Thanks girl.”

“It's no problem! I wanted to check out the locker room first, is that okay?”

With a nod from Alya, she picked up her bag and led her new friend out of the classroom. “So, this is your first year here right?” 

“Yup! My parents just moved to a new apartment, and this school was closer than my old one. I take it it isn't your first year?”

Chuckling, she shook her head. “It’s my second year here. I’ve gone to school with a lot of kids here. Me and Nino have been friends since we were little. Chloe on the other hand? Not so much..”

“What's her deal anyways? She seems to have it out for you.”

Marinette sighed heavily, shrugging her shoulders. “I have no idea… She’s just never liked me, and whoever she doesn't like, she bullies. It’s not just me, she means to everyone, even her friend Sabrina.”

“The girl with the red hair?”

“Yup. They've been friends for a while, but Chloe treats her like a servant.. Chloe’s the only real bad kid in the class though, and she's more of a brat than anything.” She kept her voice low, not wanting anyone to hear her gossiping. 

The locker room was downstairs, to the east side of the school. The locker rooms for PE were in another room, where the girls and boys each had their own room. This one was co-ed, and was for storing their books and other things they may need. 

“What’s your locker?” Marinette asked curiously. Showing her the number, she led her to which locker was hers, and was happily surprised upon learning that her locker was across from Alya’s. 

“Sweet! We’re next to each other!” Alya cheered, opening her locker and storing her bag inside, taking pictures of the inside.

“So, where do you want to go first?” She asked, placing her own bag on the hook inside of her locker. When she shut it, she made a mental note to put a lock on it, one that wasn't the simple ones the school provided. She didn't like the thought of her sketchbook being left alone where anyone could sneak in and steal it. 

“Hm.. maybe the cafeteria? I am kind of hungry.”

As if on cue, her stomach growled, causing both girls to laugh. “Of course! I’m supposed to go home for lunch though, wanna come along? I know that my parents would love to meet you.”

Alya’s eyes lit up, and she grinned. “Will I get to have some more of your dad’s cooking?”

“Nope! My mom does the cooking, he does the baking,” she chuckled, grinning as she saw Alya’s face fall for a moment. “Don't worry, my Maman is a great cook. I’m sure we’ll have something you’ll like.”

Alya threw her arms around the smaller girl, causing her to blush and giggle. “You know, I was hoping that id be able to make friends here, but I never thought that id manage to be friends with someone so nice and amazing!” 

“M-Me? Amazing? Really?” 

Nodding her head, Alya looked down at her with a warm smile. “Yes you! I really can't thank you enough. Now, let's go eat!” Pumping her fist in the air, Alya let out a cheer and marched towards the entrance of the school, dragging a giggling Marinette behind her.

Just before they managed to reach the front though, the ground shook violently, and Marinette let out a fearful shriek. 

“What was that?!”

“An earthquake?!”

There were shrieks and screams across the room, and Marinette froze as a loud booming voice filled the air.

“KIM!” A loud and deep voice rumbled. The ground shook again, and Alya yanked her out of the school and over to the stairs.

To their disbelief, there was a giant creature slowly making its way around the school, made up of stone. With every step it took the ground shook, and his voice was so loud, it hurt her ears. 

“Alya we have to go!” She gasped, tugging her down the steps and towards her house. There they should be safe.. Right?

“Are you kidding?! Girl this is a real life super villain! I’ve got to record this,” Alya grinned, pulling out her phone.

“What?! No way! It's way too dangerous, you could get hurt!”

She tried to pull Alya away from the rock monster, but the taller girl was stronger, and wiggled out of her grip. “I’ll be fine! I’ll meet up with you later!” Before she could stop her, Alya was chasing after the large beast. 

A part of her wanted to chase after her, to make sure she was safe, and wouldn't be hurt. Another part of her was terrified. Fear won this battle, and she raced home as fast as she could, her eyes wide with fear and panic as she threw open the doors and ran inside. 

“Maman! Papa!” She yelled out, needing to see them, needing to know that they were okay. 

“Marinette? Whats wrong?” To her relief, Sabine poked her head out from the kitchen door, a worried look on her face from Marinette’s yelling. “Is it the earthquake? I’m sure everything will be okay.”

“Maman it isn't an earthquake! Hits this huge rock giant, a-and Alya went after it, and its after Kim and i don't know where Kim is!”

Her speaking was rushed, worried about her friends, stressed about the whole situation.

“A rock giant?” She gasped, looking out the window worriedly. 

“Excuse me miss,” a customer called,drawing their attention. “A rock giant? You can't be serious!” He laughed. “Your daughter is quite the storyteller.”

Marinette flushed at his words, and she watched as her mom’s worried expression turned stone cold as she looked over at the man. 

“My daughter is not a liar,” she said coldly. “If you can excuse us, I’m afraid we have to close shop early today. Please leave.”

The shop was closed immediately, and Marinette went upstairs with the promise that her parents would be close behind her as soon as they packed up shop. Hurrying up to her room, Marinette sighed heavily and sat down at her desk, turning on the news to see if there was any coverage of the monster. 

As soon as she turned on the monitor, she was greeted to a video of Nadia, reporting about the giant beast. The video showed an aerial view of the beast, heading straight to the police blockade. The sound of gunshots could be heard, but to her shock, the monster did not go down. Instead, it paused, and grew even bigger than before. 

“Bullets can't stop him?” She groaned. “How are we gonna stop it?”

Leaning back in her chair, she sighed heavily, looking over at her window. Her brow furrowed as she noticed something odd. On the edge of her desk was a strange looking black box. 

“That wasn't there before.. Was it?” She mumbled, picking it up. Maybe it was the first day of school present from her parents? The boc had some odd red markings on it, and she hummed softly. It looked expensive, what did they get her?

Opening it up, she peeked inside, right as there was a bright flash of light. Shrieking, she tossed the box onto the floor and scrambled away. A bomb?! Was it a bomb?!

A small red orb of light burst from the box, lifting up into the air. Sparks burst from it, and in a shower of light and glitter, a small red creature appeared. It shook itself out, and looked around the room curiously before its big blue eyes landed on her. It was red, with a bigger head than body, with black spots on its head. Two antennas stuck out from its head, with small feet and hands, which were more like paws if anything. 

“Hello!” it said excitedly, flying up to her. 

“BUG!” She screamed, grabbing a book and chucking it at the red bug. “Get away!” of course though, her aim was terrible, and she completely missed the bug, much to her dismay.

The bug gasped-  _ how could a bug gasp? _ -and quickly flew out of the way. “Wait! I’m not a bug, I promise!”

“Ah! It can talk!” Freezing, she rushed over to her desk, grabbing a glass and trapping the bug inside. The bug seemed to sigh, and looked up at her with a smile. 

“If this makes you feel safer, than very well.”

It continued to speak, but Marinette wasn't listening. She was too busy panicking. There was a huge bug, and it was talking. Bug’s couldn't talk, right? But then again, there was a giant rock monster outside who was after her friend, so this wasn't the weirdest thing that had happened today, but still weird. This was too much, this was far too strange.

“Mom!” she yelled out, needing to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating or something. 

The bug panicked, and was suddenly out of the glass, right up at her face, and shushing her too!

“No no no no no! It’s okay! I’m not here to hurt you! I’m not a bug! I’m a Kwami!” Now that made Marinette pause. _ A kwami? What on earth was a kwami? _

“You… Aren’t a bug?” she asked nervously, wondering whether or not she should just smash it with her hands. Nope. Smashing it would be too gross, and it was so big that it would surely end up making her hands all sticky and stuff.

The bug seemed to relax at her question, and nodded its head. “Yup! It’s okay, I'm not here to hurt you, you don't have to be scared of me.” 

Slowly, Marinette began to relax, moving back to her computer chair to sit. The red bug hovered over her desk, thankfully keeping its distance from her. They both stared at each other for a moment, its blue eyes staring right into her grey ones. She took this moment to observe the bug, noticing that it had a strange tail like thing on its butt, three feather-like red strands poking out. 

“What… Are you?” she asked hesitantly, not taking her eyes off of the creature, trying to process whether this all was real.. Or if she'd been dreaming the entire day. 

“I’m Tikki! I'm a Kwami!”

“What’s a kwami?”

Flying over to the black box that had been knocked over during her panic, Tikki picked up two red and black earrings, seeming to glow as she held them in her tiny paws. 

“A Kwami.. Is like a guardian,” she explained in her high pitched voice, setting the trinkets down in front of her. “I am bound to the wearer of the Ladybug Miraculous, and you, are my chosen!”

Chosen..? Marinette looked down at the earrings, picking one up and peering at it closely. “A Miraculous? What's that?”

“A Miraculous is an object of great power. Those earrings you hold are the ladybug miraculous! When wearing them, you have the ability to turn into a superhero!”

“A… Superhero?” she echoed, her eyes wide in surprise. “You want me… to be a superhero?”

The tiny kwami flew down to her,gently placing her paws on her arm. 

“I only want to help you be the best hero you can be. It is your choice whether or not to wear them. I know this is a lot, but.. We don't have a lot of time.”

Glancing at her monitor, she saw the image of the rock giant, headed back to the school. A flash of orange caught her attention, and she looked closer before gasping.

“Alya!” hopping to her feet, she looked down at Tikki, who quickly zipped up to her eye level. “She’s in danger! I have to help her! But.. How do i…” Looking down at her earrings, she paused,studying them for a moment. Her mind was made up. “Tikki, tell me what you need me to do.”

It turns out using a yo-yo to zip line around Paris was a lot more fun than she expected, and a lot more difficult too. A flash of black came into view from the corner of her eye, and she stopped on top of a rooftop near the school, watching as a boy landed beside her.

He was dressed in all black, the only ounce of color on him were a comically large gold bell at the top of his zipper, his sunshine blonde hair, and his piercing green eyes. He held a small silver pole in his right hand, his wrist covered with an arm guard. A black mask donned his face, glamouring him from allowing her to focus on him too much. It wasn't as though she couldn't see him, but it was as though her mind was fogged, not allowing her to picture what his face looked like under the mask. 

“Who are you?-

“So you're my new partner?-” they asked at the same time.

Marinette’s nose wrinkled in confusion. “Partner?”

The boy grinned and nodded. “Yeah. didn't your Kwami tell you? My name’s Chat Noir, i have a back cat miraculous. And you are?”

That's odd, Tikki didn't mention her having a partner. Maybe she just hadn't been aware that another miraculous had been given out. After Thinking of a name, and looking down at her red and black suit, which seemed plain compared to Chat Noir’s, she looked back up at him, offering a shy smile. 

“You can call me Ladybug. So Chat Noir,what’s your power?”

Chat frowned, looking down at his ring. “Y’know, I don't know actually. My kwami didn't tell me.”

“It didn't?” 

“Well.. I might have gotten a bit excited and transformed before he could tell me,” he chuckled, scratching his cheek.

Ladybug chuckled and shook her head in amusement. It seemed they were both new at this, at least she wasn't alone in being the newbie.

“I don't know much about it myself if I'm honest, but i do know that you can only use it once, so make it count. After that, you only have five minutes before your transformation wears out. We can figure out the rest together, right Chat?”

Smiling, he nodded, looking up at the rock giant. “Let’s go get the Akuma My Lady.”

. . .

Marinette sighed heavily, leaning back against her computer chair. She didn’t know how Chat Noir had known about the Akuma, but she was so relieved that he told her that she needed to capture it.

_ After ripping apart the black piece of paper, she’d watched as a black butterfly flew out of it, flying up and away. A sense of pride filling her, she turned to pick up the lucky charm, only to catch Chat Noir’s confused face. _

_ “What’s wrong?” _

_ He looked conflicted, but after a moment, he finally asked “why didn’t you kill the Akuma?” _

_ Her eyes widened with horror. “Why would I kill a butterfly?!” _

_ “Well.. Isn’t that where the powers came from?” _

_ After pausing for a minute, Ladybug turned to the butterfly, quickly flying further and further away. She grabbed hold of the Lucky Charm, and quickly hurried after the butterfly. When she got close to it, she noticed her yo-yo beginning to glow, and she whipped it towards the butterfly. To her surprise, the yo-yo opened, catching the butterfly before returning to her hands. _

_ “Whoa! I got ya!” she looked at it, uncertain of how to open it and free the poor butterfly. As she touched the surface of it, she gasped as it opened, a silvery glow coming from the inside, and instead of the black and purple butterfly flying out, it was a white one. A sense of peace filled her, and she couldn't help but smile and wave to it as it happily fluttered away.  _

_ “Bye Bye Little Butterfly!” Taking her lucky charm, she threw it up into the sky, remembering what Tikki told her. _

_ “Miraculous Ladybug!”  _

_ She watched in awe and amazement as the lucky charm burst into thousands of glowing ladybugs, rushing around Paris and repairing all of the damage. Once everything was repaired, she headed back to where Chat Noir and Ivan were, only to see that her partner was gone, and Ivan was still seated in the turf, looking confused.  _

_ When his eyes met hers, his eyes widened, and he quickly stood to his feet. “Who are you? How did I end up here? I was back in the school wasn’t I?” _

_ Offering a small smile, she could understand how he was so confused. It looked like he had no memory of the incident, which she was relieved about. Ivan was so sweet, and she hated to think that he would have to live with the memory of the danger he put others in, of destroying Paris, of being shot at by the police… That was enough to traumatize anyone, and she was glad he didn’t have those memories anymore.  _

_“My name is Ladybug, I’m the hero. You were… Akumatized? You were turned into a monster, but it’s okay now! Me and my partner turned you back.”__  
_ _“I was… a monster?” he asked in horror, his face paling. _

_ “Well… yes… I promise I’ll explain later, but I have to go right now. Can you take him back to school and make sure he’s okay?” She asked Alya, who she noticed was recording her still.  _

_ Eyes lighting up, she quickly nodded her head. “You can count on me Ladybug!” _

“Tikki?” She asked softly, looking over at the Kwami, happily munching on a snicker doodle. “Did i.. Do okay today?”

Smiling brightly, she flew over to her, nodding her head. “You did amazing Marinette! You even managed to capture the Akuma! How did you know about that?”

“Chat told me. In fact.. He knew about the Akuma even before we started fighting.”  
Tikki tilted her head to the side curiously. “Hm.. I wonder if Plagg told him about it.”

“Plagg?”

“Yup! He’s Chat Noir’s Kwami! He’s very stinky and likes smelly cheese, but he's okay.”

She frowned a little at that, sitting up and pulling her knees to her chest. “But Chat Noir told me that his Kwami didn’t tell him anything about his powers. He didn’t even use something like my Lucky Charm, he just fought with a baton and his claws.”

Tikki stared at her in surprise, and she frowned. “That’s weird.. Maybe he just transformed before Plagg could tell him about his cataclysm?”

“Cataclysm? What’s that?”

“It’s Chat Noir’s power! He can use it once to destroy whatever he wants to!”

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she sighed softly. “Wow… So i have the power to create, and he has the power to destroy? But why do we have these powers Tikki? Why are you here? Who gave you to me?”

She smiled softly, and sat down on her bed, patting her hand softly. “You’re here because someone has the Butterfly Miraculous, and it's being used to do evil. The Ladybug Miraculous, the one you have, is the only one that can stop the Akumas. The Black Cat Miraculous gets sent out whenever the Ladybug Miraculous does, they’re a pair!”  
“Oh.. so that’s why i have it. What does the Akuma do?”

“They feed on negative emotions, and turn whoever it touches into a villain! They’re all different, and you have to find whatever item it possessed and destroy it!”

“But how will i know what the Akuma is possessing? With Ivan it was easy, but that's because he only had one thing on him..”

“Marinette, I have no doubt that you’ll do just fine! You're so creative, and I know that you’ll figure it out! Have faith in yourself, and remember, you did it today, and I believe that you can do it again!”

She smiled at that, relaxing and picking Tikki up in her hand. “Thanks Tikki. I needed to hear that. “I’m glad I'm not alone.”

“You won’t be alone Marinette, you have me, Chat Noir, Alya and so many others supporting you! Believe in yourself, like I believe in you!”

“I'll try Tikki. Thank you.”


	2. Prologue part 2: The New Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the excitement of the Akuma attack the day before, Marinette and her classmates return to school, excited and curious about what the year may hold

Marinette made sure that she got to school on time the next day, she was actually early for once. Chloe wasn’t in school yet, and she paused before she went to her seat. Looking at her old spot in front of Ivan, she grinned, quickly moving to her old seat. 

Nino glanced back as Marinette moved, grinning and shaking his head in amusement. “Stealing Chloe’s seat?” He teased.

“Stealing?” she gasped, placing her hand over her heart in mock shock. “I would never! I’m simply taking back what was stolen from me!”

He laughed at that, holding up his fist to her, which she happily bumped. “Good, it’s about time that Chloe gets put in her place, which isn’t sitting behind me,” he chuckled.

Ivan walked into class, looking nervous, which she couldn’t blame him for at all. He hurried into his seat, and the few conversations that was going on, which were mainly by Rose and Juleka and Alix and Nathaniel, quickly were silenced. Turning around, she offered Ivan a small smile.

“Hey Ivan, how are you feeling?”

“Why, because I turned into a monster?” He grumbled, but he pulled out one of his headphones.

“Well..” she paused, not knowing how to respond to that.

“I’m fine Marinette. You don’t have to worry about me turning into a rocky Hulk again.”

She frowned at that, shaking her head. “I’m not worried about it Ivan. I know you, I know that I’m safe with you. It isn’t your fault for what happened.”

His expression softened, and he nodded. “Thank you Marinette.”

“You don’t have to thank me Ivan. I’m just glad you’re okay. If anyone tries to give you any trouble, just let me know, and I’ll tell them off.”

“If anyone gives you any trouble, me and Kim will make them pay!” Alix added, leaning over so she could pat Ivan’s back.

Jumping in surprise, Ivan turned around, looking back at Alix. A smile appeared for a moment, but then he sighed, shaking his head. “It’s Kim’s fault it happened..” he muttered.

Marinette had never seen Alix look so murderous before, not even when Kim took her hat and accidentally threw it into the Seine when he tried to throw it to Max as a Frisbee. “What do you mean?”

“Well.. he made fun of me yesterday..” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a piece of paper, one that she recognized as the one she ripped up, the one that the Akuma had possessed. So even the akumatized objects could be fixed by her Miraculous Ladybug, that was good to know. 

Taking the paper, Alix quickly read over it, a low growl escaping her. “Once I get my hands on him… can I borrow this?” After she received a nod from Ivan, she pocketed the note, leaning back into her seat.

“Hey Ivan! Feeling better after yesterday?” Turning to the door, Marinette saw Alya wave to Ivan, not blinking at the seating change. Instead, she plopped into the seat next to Marinette like it was what she always did, turning around to face Ivan, resting her chin in her palm as she looked up at him. 

“You know Ivan?” Rose asked.

“Yup! Ladybug asked me to make sure he was okay, so I walked him back. We talked for a while, and he let me interview him for the Ladyblog!”

“The Ladyblog? What's that?” Marinette asked curiously. 

Eyes lighting up, she had her phone out faster than she could blink, quickly pulling up a site that Marinette was pretty sure was already open on her phone. “It’s my new blog! That superhero yesterday? She goes by the name of Ladybug, and she called her partner Chat Noir! I made a blog all about them! It only has two videos up right now, and it has a lot of work to do, but I know that it’ll be great!”

She’d made a blog? About Ladybug and Chat Noir? 

“Why are you making it about them?”

“Because they're superheroes! It's something that only happens in books and comics and movies! Why wouldn’t I want to make a blog about it?” She laughed.

“That's true.”

“_Excuse _ me.” A stern voice came from the front of the room. Turning around, Marinette wasn’t too surprised to see Chloe glaring at her from the doorway. 

Gesturing to the open seats in the front, she smiled warmly at her. “You’re excused Chloe.”

The class went still, a small gasp coming from Rose. Her eyes narrowed, her lip curling into a snarl. "Do you want to try that again, Dupain-Cheng?”

Tapping a finger to her chin, she pretended to hum in thought. Smiling prettily at her, she shook her head. “No, I said what I meant. I’m taking my seat back, you can sit over there,” she gestured to her old seat. 

“Looks like someone grew pretty brave, what happened Dupain- Cheng? Did four eyes over there put you up to it?”

“Her name is Alya,” she snarled, standing to her feet. “And no. I just decided that I’m tired of you bossing me around. I’m tired of you bullying me and everyone else in this class. So shove it Chloe, and I’m taking my seat back. This year is going to be different, and I refuse to let a bully control the class all over again.”

Chloe stared at her in disbelief, and opened her mouth to speak, but Felix walked into the room, Sabrina behind him. She was so relieved that Sabrina wasn’t here to hear the name Chloe called Alya. Felix sighed heavily as he looked between her and Chloe, shaking his head. 

“It’s too early for this..” he muttered, sitting down in his seat behind Marinette. 

A blond haired boy Marinette had never seen before walked into the room, and looked around. “Chloe?” 

Eyes lighting up, Chloe’s anger immediately dissolved as she heard his voice, and she eagerly turned around, practically leaping into him as she wrapped her arms over his shoulders, kissing his cheek. “Adrikins!” she squealed. “You made it! I was so worried when you didn’t show up yesterday.”

Chuckling, Adrien hugged her back before stepping away. “Sorry Clo', my father still wasn't convinced about me going, and I had to wait a day to convince him. Plus the monster attack made him very hard to convince that it was safe to go.”

Turning to the class, Chloe cleared her throat. “Peasants, this is Adrien Agreste, son of Gabriel Agreste. He’s the most handsome model in all of Paris, and he’s _ MY _ best friend!” she boasted, hugging his arm possessively. Adrien cracked a bashful smile, cheeks flushed pink. 

“Clo', that's sweet really, but it isn’t that impressive. I’m here to go to school, not scare them all off by the title.”

“You’re too humble Adrikins, its adorable. Come sit next to me, I saved you a seat!” 

Sabrina was already sitting in the seat next to where Chloe was, and she froze. The ginger looked up with a sad smile, and Marinette felt so bad for her. Apparently the class agreed, because a few hushed whispers of ‘poor Sabrina’, went around the room.

Adrien looked at Sabrina, and shook his head. “Go ahead and sit next to your friend Chloe. Here, is anyone sitting here?”

His green eyes met Marinette’s, and it took her a moment to realize he was talking to her. “O-oh! Well Nino’s sitting in that one, but nobody’s sitting in the other one.”

Nodding, he flashed a way too pretty smile and sat down in the seat in front of her, looking up at Chloe. “See? This way we’re still sitting next to each other.”

Chloe looked like she wanted to comment on it, but Ms Bustier walked into the room, and so she slid into her seat.

“So what do you think of the new kid?” Alya whispered to her as they sat down for lunch, sitting on a bench by a window. 

Pulling out her lunchbox, she shrugged, taking a bite of her sandwich. “He seems nice enough, but I dunno.. He’s friends with Chloe after all.”  
“What’s the deal with Chloe anyways?”  
“She’s been bullying Marinette since grade school,” Alix huffed, plopping down next to Marinette. “Then again, she’s bullied just about everyone here. Maybe now that pretty boy is here, she’ll behave.”

Sighing heavily, she leaned her head on the glass, looking out at the storm clouds as they passed over the school. “It’d be a miracle if that happened. Even if it doesn't, I’m not letting her boss me around anymore.”

“What got into you this morning?” Alix chuckled, elbowing her. “You’ve never been that direct before. I was shocked.”

She shrugged, looking back at her. “I guess seeing those superheroes yesterday gave me the courage to stand up to her. If two people can stand up to a rock giant, then i can stand up to Chloe, y’know?”

“Stand up to Chloe? What do you mean?”  
The three girls looked up at the new voice, surprised to see Adrien standing in front of them, an apple in hand. “Oh nothing-” Marinette started, only for Alix to quickly interrupt.

“Your friend happens to be the class bully. Marinette here,” she grinned, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. “Stood up to her today. We’re all really proud of her, y’know?”

“Chloe? A bully?” he gasped, looking over at the blonde in disbelief. “I know that she can be a little mean sometimes, but a bully? That's a bit much, don’t you think?”

“Are you calling Marinette a liar? You can ask anyone in this school Agreste, I’m afraid that your friend is not nearly as kind or sweet as you may think she is,” Felix said coldly, walking up from behind him.

“Are you going to tell me that she’s been bullying you too?” Adrien crossed his arms, looking at him skeptically. 

“Hardly. I don’t give that girl the time of day, but i'm afraid that others aren’t as lucky.”

Adrien opened his mouth to reply, but Chloe called him over, and he sighed. “It.. was nice talking to you all,” he offered before heading back to Chloe and Sabrina.

The four of them sighed as he left, and Marinette looked up to Felix curiously. “Why did you come and stand up for me?”

For the first time, Felix looked at her. His grey eyes looked her over for a moment, before looking away. “I was just passing by. Agreste tends to be.. oblivious at the best of times. Not to mention, your friend there looked ready to pounce, and that would not have ended well. Enjoy your lunch.” Bowing his head, he walked out of the cafeteria, leaving the three girls curious and a little confused. 

The first one to speak was Alix. “He’s weird.”

Alya snorted at that, leaning forward so she could look past Marinette and see the smaller girl. “You got that right. Something tells me that this will be an interesting year. First superheroes, then Chloe and Adrien. At least it won't be boring.”

At the end of class, Marinette walked out of school later than everyone else. She had needed to grab some things, and remembered that she’d forgotten to give Tikki something to eat. Thankfully, the Kwami was just napping, still tired from her first adventure in ages. She gently placed a cookie in her purse for when she woke up, and grabbed her umbrella. 

The storm had definitely begun, thunder rolling in the distance. Thunder meant Lightning, and she really wasn’t a fan of lightning. She waited at the front of school, a little nervous to step out into the open, afraid that at any moment, lightning would strike and she’d be toast.

“Are you alright?”

Jumping, she turned to look up at the owner of the voice, meeting Felix’s grey eyes. He held an umbrella, but wasn’t stepping out into the storm either. “O-oh! Yeah, I’m fine. Just..”

“Scared of storms?” he guessed. She offered a small nod before looking down at the now wet steps in front of them.

“I don’t mind storms when I’m inside, but being outside is a very different thing…”

“I can understand that. Truthfully, I don’t like getting wet.”

She chuckled at that, and looked up at him again. “Is that why you aren't stepping out into the rain, even though you have an umbrella?”

“That is precisely why,” he agreed. “Besides, my sister is coming to pick me up. We live a bit farther away, and she always picks me up when it rains.”

“You have an older sister?”

“I do. She graduated already, and works at a nearby cafe.”  
“Oh, well its nice that shes picking you up!”  
“I suppose so. Don’t you live nearby?” 

Nodding, she pointed to the bakery, which was just down the street. “I do, but..”

“You’re scared of storms and don’t want to head outside,” he guessed.

“Exactly..”

The two stood there for a while, watching as the rain fell. Lightning flashed a few times, and the thunder grew louder as the storm grew closer. 

A black car rolled up, and Felix pulled up his umbrella. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow Marinette.”

“Bye Felix!” she waved, watching him step out into the rain and head to the car. 

“Maybe I should head inside to the library,” she muttered to herself, glancing back to the school. The library should be open for another hour right? Maybe the storm would pass by then..

She turned to walk inside, only to hear Felix call out to her. Looking back at him, she saw him walking up the steps, stopping in front of her. “My sister wanted to know if you would like a ride, considering its so close and all.”

Eyes lighting up, she smiled and nodded her head eagerly. “Really? That would be great! Thank you so much Felix!”

“Thank my sister, not me,” he chuckled, turning to head back to the car. 

Opening her umbrella, she quickly followed after him, only to slip on the wet steps. Shrieking, she started to fall forward, only for Felix to quickly turn around and catch her, stumbling back on the steps and steadying her. His hands grabbed onto her wrists, and he pulled her close so he could steady her. 

“Are you okay?” he asked worriedly, looking up at her.

“Y-yeah, I’m..” she looked down into his eyes, pausing for a moment. Lightning flashed a few blocks away, and she shrieked, moving closer to him as she tried to scurry into the car. 

“Hey it's alright,” He said softly, helping her to the car. She sat down in the seat, taking in a deep breath as she relaxed into the seat, shutting the car door behind her. Felix went to sit in the passenger seat. “Marinette, this is my sister Melodie.”

Melodie had long blonde hair, more gold than Felix’s pale blonde hair. She was tanner than he was, and it was hard to believe that the two were siblings, considering how pale he was compared to her. She turned around to smile at Marinette, and Marinette couldn’t help but smile back. Her smile was warm and infectious, and she happily waved to her. 

“Nice to meet you Marinette!”

“You too! Thank you so much for the ride, it means a lot to me.”

“Oh no need to thank me, it was Feli here who asked if I could give you a ride,” she chuckled, pulling the car past the school. “Since your place wasn’t too far, and since he promised to do the dishes to night, I figured I’d say yes.”

Even though she was sitting behind him, she could see the tips of Felix’s ears turn pink, and he shot a glare at his sister. “I made no such promise,” he hissed under his breath.

“Yeah I know,” she laughed, reaching over to tussle his hair, receiving an offended noise from him as he slapped her hand away.   
Marinette couldn’t help but laugh at the two’s antics, and before she knew it, they were in front of the bakery. “Thank you again for the ride!” 

Stepping out of the car, she waved to them as they drove off, and couldn’t help but wonder… Did Felix really ask his sister to give her a ride, or did Melodie make that up to embarrass him too?

Heading inside, she sighed happily at the warmth of the bakery, heading upstairs since her parents were busy with customers. Tossing her umbrella into the bin, she went up to her room to change into warm pajamas. Pajamas during a storm was always the best thing, especially if there was hot chocolate involved. 

“Tikki, do you like hot chocolate?” she asked curiously as she set her bag down.   
The little kwami flew out of her purse, stretching and yawning softly. “What’s that?”

Gasping, she looked at Tikki in disbelief, heading to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate for them. “Trust me, you're going to love it.”

Tikki sat on the counter as Marinette made the hot chocolate, watching patiently as she worked. “So who was that? The boy in the car?”

“Who, Felix? I’m not sure really. I’ve seen him in school before, but we’ve never been in the same class.”

“He seems nice, are you two going to be friends?”

She shrugged, filling a small container with hot chocolate for tikki. “I’m not sure, maybe? I mean, he does sit behind me, so it would be nice to be friends with him.” she cut off a small piece of a marshmallow, placing it in Tikki’s cup, as well as a small amount of whipped cream. She set the tiny thing down for her, sipping from her own cup and sighing contentedly.

Tikki sniffed the drink curiously, and took a bite out of the whipped cream. She squealed at the taste, and happily drank the rest. Before Marinette knew it, the drink was gone, and Tikki was holding the cup up for more. Chuckling, she poured some of her own drink into it, shaking her head in amusement.

“I’ll make a bigger drink for you next time,” she promised.

Giggling, Tikki sipped her drink a little slower, wanting to savor the drink. The two headed up to Marinette’s room, where she plopped onto her chaise. 

“So Marinette, what do you like to do?” Tikki asked, sitting down on her pillow. Marinette made a small mental note to make Tikki a bed and little furniture for herself. 

“Well, I really like to sew! I like designing, and I’m really into art.”

Tikki’s eyes lit up at that, and she poked a paw at her shirt. “Did you make this too?”

“Yup!” she smiled happily. “I like to make my own clothes. My parents do buy me clothes though, because sometimes that's just easier to do. Other times, we’ll go shopping for fabrics so I can sew when I get home. It’s easier to make what I like to wear, not have to worry about stores not having anything that I like or not.”

“That makes sense. Does that mean you want to be a designer when you grow up?”

“I do! I really do.. One day, I want to be a well known designer, and design for celebrities and other people! I want to have my own boutique, filled with all of my designs!”

“That sounds wonderful Marinette, I hope that you can get your boutique when you're older,” Tikki smiled, finishing her drink.

“Me too Tikki.. Me too..”

A flash of black outside of her window caught her attention, and Marinette looked outside, seeing Chat Noir running around on the rooftops outside. Tikki flew up to her, and chuckled.

“I’ve never seen one of Plagg’s chosen's who liked getting wet,” she giggled. “Usually they all hate water just as much as he does! Want to go out and see what he's up to?”

She smiled at that, and nodded. It’d be nice to see her partner again, especially since they hadn’t had a chance to talk after the battle. “I think that's a great idea. Tikki, Transform me!”

She swung after Chat Noir, calling out to him as she neared. His black kitty ears perked up, and he stopped on a rooftop, turning to face her with a warm smile. “Ladybug! I was wondering if I’d get a chance to see you today.”

Stopping next to him, she returned the smile, setting her yo-yo on her hip. “Well wonder no more. What’re you doing out in a rainstorm? I thought kitties didn’t like getting wet,” she teased, crossing her arms. 

His belt-tail flicked back and forth in amusement, and he shrugged. “I figured I needed to get more practice in as Chat Noir, y’know?”  
“I get it, we didn’t really get a chance to talk the other day either. Did Plagg tell you about your power?”

His smile fell at that, and he shook his head, sighing. “No.. he hasn't.. Did your Kwami tell you anything?”

She nodded her head. “Tikki told me that you have Cataclysm.”

“Cataclysm?” he jumped as black smoke surrounded his right hand, looking at it in surprise. “Whoa,” he grinned, turning his hand back and forth to watch the black smoke fall and follow his movement. “What does it to?”

Looking around, she found a discarded cup on the ground, and quickly grabbed it, hopping back up to where he was. “Here, catch.”

She tossed him the cup, and when he touched it with the blackened hand, the cup shrunk in on itself before dissolving into ash. The smoke vanished from his hand again, and he stared at the ash in his hand in awe before letting it fall to the ground. “I can destroy whatever I touch?” 

Eyes sparkling with excitement and mischief, he lowered himself to one knee on the roof, facing the gutter. “Cataclysm!” He slammed his hand onto the gutter, but it just made a loud bang, not doing anything. His face twisted in confusion, and he looked up at Ladybug in confusion.

Chuckling, she shrugged. “You only get to use it once. After that, you have five minutes before you detransform.”

As if on cue, his ring started to beep, and they saw one of the pads on the paw go black. “Oh! Your miraculous is a ring?” she asked excitedly, taking his hand and pulling it up for her to see.

He quickly yanked his hand out of her grip, and she froze, perplexed by that reaction. “O-oh, sorry.. I just.. I thought that you’d get..” He trailed off, holding onto his wrist. 

She relaxed at that, nodding her head. “That’s okay. I just wanted to look at the ring.. Sorry I got excited.”

“N-no, its okay,” he offered a small smile. “Here, you can look at it.” He held out his hand for her to look at the ring. Gently taking it, she looked down at the ring, studying it.

It was a plain looking black ring, the only noticeable thing about it was that there were bright green paw pads in the center of it. It made sense that it wasn’t too fancy, since he’d have to wear it every day. She let go of his hand after a moment, letting him pull it back to his side.

“So why did you leave so early yesterday? When I finished taking care of the Akuma, you were gone.”

“Oh, I didn’t think you were gonna come back,” he admitted. “When you took off, I just went home, I figured that you took care of the Akuma.”

That made sense, and she relaxed a little at that. “How did you know about Akuma’s anyways? Tikki didn’t even tell me about that.”

He chuckled at that, running a hand through his hair. “I will never give up my secrets M’Ladybug,” he teased, bowing to her. His ring beeped again, and he glanced at it. “Looks like I should head back. Should we meet up again tomorrow?”

“For what?”

“I dunno.. Maybe just to talk again? I'll meet you at the Eiffel tower okay?”

Grinning, he waved to her before dashing off. Ladybug huffed at that, crossing her arms. “I never agreed you know!” she yelled after him before heading back to her house.

She transformed when she got back into her room, sighing softly. “I feel like I haven’t learned anything more about him,” she mumbled, flopping onto her chaise. 

“He does seem to like being mysterious,” Tikki agreed, settling down on the pillow next to her. “But he isn’t the first holder of the black cat miraculous to be like that.”

“There were former miraculous holders? Wait.. are there others?” she asked curiously, turning her head to look over at her.

“There were many holders before you. I can't tell you much about the miraculous themselves.. But I’ll try to answer whatever questions you have.”

That was great to know… but she had no idea what questions she would even ask.. 

“Thanks Tikki. Well, it looks like Alya was right at least..”

“About what?”

“This year is definitely not going to be boring.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovelies! I'm so sorry for the late update. It's been a busy week, and I haven't had much muse to write the past two weeks. But I'm back!  
I know some people were curious about whether or not Adrien was going to be in the class since I didn't mention him much in the last chapter(which was just a mistake, I fully intended on him being in the class), so let this chapter put those questions to rest.  
I didn't put the umbrella scene in because i wanted to set up something for some Felinette, because yes, this is now a Felinette fic, even though it won't be the main focus of the story. Some of you may recognize Melodie from the original 2D concept material. She was originally a part of the main five, but was scrapped for the main series. I thought it would be fun to give Felix a sister who's the exact opposite of him: bubbly, happy, and sociable.  
I also had Marinette say her french transformation call. I just like the simple transformation call instead of "Spots On".  
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, maybe leave a comment? they really do give me more muse to write, plus i love to read them ^^  
see you next chapter!


	3. Le Brute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a few days since Ivan was Akumatized, and certain class relations have changed. This chapter is partially from Alix's POV.

Ever since Ivan had told everyone what happened to him before he was turned into a Monster, Alix had been cold to Kim. She refused to talk to him, she refused to hang out with him. Usually she sat with him and Max during lunch, but she had decided to sit with Marinette and Alya instead. She knew that Kim was confused, she knew that he was hurt since she was ignoring him, but she didn't care. She isn’t friends with bullies, and Kim was a bully.

She was in a bad mood today, it had rained the day before, so she couldn't skate to school today. She’d had to walk, and a car had driven by and splashed her, and she was now cold and wet. As soon as she made it to class, she sat down with a huff, crossing her arms and ready to get class over with. Tomorrow was Friday, and she couldn’t wait for the weekend. 

The class slowly filed in, but she didn’t pay attention. She was zoned out, staring blankly outside the window. It was only when Mylene slid into the seat beside her and greeted her with a warm smile that she actually looked up and smiled back, even if it was a small one. 

“Hey Alix!” Mylene greeted her with a bright smile and a warm hug. Chuckling, Alix placed her hand over her arm, giving it a small squeeze. She never was much of a hugger.

“Morning Mylene, what’s got you so happy this morning?” 

“Oh… Nothing!” she giggled, her cheeks turning pink as she turned her head away.

“Oh? Would this nothing have anything to do to a certain boy who sits across from you?” She grinned as she watched Mylene’s cheeks redden, confirming her suspicions. “At lunch, I want to hear all about it.”

“How about after school? I’m supposed to meet Ivan for lunch.”

“I’m all yours.”

The class slowly filled in, and she waved to Marinette and Ivan as they came in. Kim walked in behind Marinette, and he waved happily to her. That small little wave infuriated her, and she turned her head away, refusing to look at him. She knew he was hurt by that, and she ignored the taps on her shoulder as he sat behind her.   
“Alix? What’s wrong?”

“I’ll tell you at lunch,” she growled at him, not even bothering to look back or brush his hand off. 

She could practically feel his pout from here, but she refused to feel sympathy for him. He was the reason why Ivan got hurt! 

When lunchtime came, she got up and stormed out of the room, hearing Kim hurry together his things and run after her. “A-Alix hey! Wait up!” He called as she hurried down the stairs. If she was going to have this conversation, they were having it outside.

She led him to the side of the school, stopping in her tracks and whirled around to face a very confused looking Kim. As she met his eyes, she felt anger swirled in her stomach, her breathing quickened as she clenched her fists.

Taking in the look on his face, Kim adjusted the strap on his shoulder. “Hey, are you okay? Did I do something wrong?”  
“Did you do something wrong? Did you do something wrong??” She snarled, reaching into her pocket and yanking out the note. Kim paled as he saw the paper, but she didn’t let that stop her. 

Clearing her throat, she unfolded the paper and read aloud “‘You don’t even have the guts to tell Mylene you love her. You wuss.’ Now, why on earth would I be okay after reading this?” She met his eyes, watching his eyes as he recognized his note, struggling to figure out what to say to defend himself.

“W-where did you get that Alix?” So, he chose to just dodge her question.

“Where do you think? Ivan gave it to me after I asked to see it! I can’t believe you Kim!” She yelled, throwing a piece of paper onto the ground. 

“Look, I’m sorry okay? I saw a chance to tease him and I took it! How was I supposed to know that he was gonna turn into a giant rock monster?” 

“Why does it matter that that’s what happened?! Chloe bullies people all the time, and you know I can’t stand her! You’re no better than her!” She yelled, kicking the piece of paper across the grass.

Kim flinched at that, but she didn’t care. “I can’t stand the bullies, and I don’t want to be friends with one either!” spitting on the ground, she walked past him, bumping his side with her shoulder as she passed. 

“W-wait, Alix no please! I’m sorry! Are you really going to get this upset over one thing?” He pleaded.

Not looking back at him, she shook her head. “Why would I ever want to be friends with a bully? Have a nice life Kim.”  
Turning the corner, she walked back into school, not noticing the butterfly that flew to the side of the school. 

. . . . .

Marinette was surprised when Alix stormed into the cafeteria, sitting at hers and Alya’s table and slamming her bag on the floor. “I hate boys.” She announced before slamming her head into the table, making Marinette wince.

“Want to talk about it?” Alya asked warily, unsure whether or not Alix was approachable at the moment.

Alix shook her head, her hat falling off and rolling on the table. “No. No I don't.”  
Frowning, Marinette glanced over at Alya, offering a shrug. Who knew what had happened to make Alix upset, though she had a feeling it had something to do with Kim, considering she’d been giving him the cold shoulder the past two days. “Well.. we’re here to talk if you need us,” she offered. 

“Thanks ‘Nette,” Alix mumbled in reply. 

A flash of red caught her eye, and she looked up at the entrance to the cafeteria. “Hey, is that.. Kim?” She asked in confusion. 

Looking around the room was what looked like Kim, only… different. His hair was drooping down, and the tips were blood red. His red hoodie was bigger now, with long sleeves that went past his hands, and a collar that covered his mouth. A black mask covered his face, and he had a black bag at his side. A broken black star covered the collar of his sweatshirt, and red lines traveled down his black pants that blended seamlessly with black boots.  
He finally turned his gaze to their table, and his eyes flashed red as he laid his eyes on Alix. Marinette’s eyes widened, and she shoved Alix out of the way as Red whips shot from his sleeves towards her. “Look out!” She yelled as people started screaming. 

Alix blinked in surprise as she was knocked to the ground, and she was about to snap at Marinette, until she saw the red whips slowly retract back into Kim’s jacket. “Oh my god,” she whispered as she scrambled to her feet. 

“Oh Alix~” Kim slowly made his way towards her, a grin peeking out from behind his high collar.  
“Stay away from me!” She shrieked, throwing a tray of food at him as she ran to the backdoor. Kim knocked the tray away with a simple swish of his sleeve, and he leapt into the air, jumping from table to table as he raced after her. 

“Poor Alix-” he chuckled as he blocked the door from her, looking down at her. “You never were the faster one of us.”

“Leave her alone Kim!” Ivan roared, throwing a chair as Marinette rushed to grab her and pull her away, Alya recording the entire ordeal on her phone. 

Kim looked at Ivan in surprise, as though forgetting that there were other people in the room. “Oh, well if it isn't the wuss! You know, I didn’t think you’d have it in you!” He laughed, his whips shredding the chair before wrapping around Ivan. “After all, you’re just a big wuss that can’t even confess to his crush. How pathetic.”

Red light surrounded Ivan, and the light faded from his eyes as he started to cry. The coils vanished, and red veiny lines covered Ivan’s arms like tattoos. 

Marinette yanked Alya and Alix out from the cafeteria, much to Alya’s protest. “What are you doing? I had a front row seat for when Ladybug shows up!”   
“Are you nuts?” she asked in disbelief. “We have to get Alix out of here, Ivan’s after her!”

“Oh yeah! Forgot about that, sorry.” Pocketing her phone, Alya grabbed Alix’s hand, and they raced outside of the school before Kim could notice they were gone. 

A flash of black caught Marinette’s attention, and she waved her arms to catch Chat Noir’s attention. “Chat!” she called as loudly as she dared, still so close to the school and all.   
The hero looked over at them, and he quickly hurried over to them, landing in front of them in a matter of seconds. “How can I help you?” He grinned to them, his hands on his hips. 

Gasping loudly, Alya whipped out her phone, pressing record again. “I have so many questions!”  
“We don't have time!” Alix huffed, hitting her arm in disbelief.

“Chat Noir, the bad guy’s after Alix, can you get her as far away from here as possible?” Alix was right, they didn’t have much time before Kim noticed that they were gone, and she needed to get her as far away as possible. Marinette would do it herself, but she doubted she’d be able to slip away in time. 

Nodding his head, Chat Noir turned around, crouching down so Alix could hop on his back. “Of course. Will you two be okay?”  
Before she could answer, she heard Kim’s roar from inside. It seemed he finally noticed they were gone. “Just go!”

Grabbing Alya, she ran towards the side of the stairs where they couldn't be seen, holding a finger to her lips and crouching down. After a few moments she heard footsteps, then a roar of anger. “You can’t hide forever Alix!”

She listened as she heard him run down the stairs and away from the school. Once she couldn’t hear him anymore, she relaxed, sighing. It looked like today couldn’t be a normal day. Well, she needed the practice anyways. “Alya, we need to get somewhere safe.”

“Are you kidding?! I’ve been waiting for this to happen again!” She squealed, hopping to her feet. “See ya girl, I’ve got a scoop to grab!” With a wink and a wave, Alya was gone, presumably chasing after Kim.

“Well at least someone’s excited,” Tikki giggled, peeking her head out from Marinette’s purse.

“If only it meant that she's heading away from danger instead of towards it,” she sighed. “Well, let's get to it. Tikki, transform me!”  


It wasn’t too hard to spot Kim when swinging on rooftops. The red of his sweatshirt was almost as bright as hers. Plus the many crying and distraught people on the streets helped. What kind of power could do this to someone? This was so different from Ivan. Kim wasn’t a big rock giant who smashed everything. Instead, he was cruel, fast, and his powers seemed connected to emotions. He and Alix must have had a fight, she guessed.

Chat Noir was already fighting him, his baton whacking away the whips that Kim sent out at him. Pausing at the rooftop, she took in the fight, trying to figure out where the Akuma could be in and how to get it. His bag maybe? It was the only part of his outfit that was the same, well, besides the fact that it was black now.

Chat caught her eye, and his eyes lit up. “Ladybug! Purrfect timing!” 

Kim whirled around, and Ladybug swung out of the way as his whips slashed at where she stood. “Well if it isn't the bug. Here to get squashed?”

“No thanks, I prefer staying squash free thank you.” Landing next to Chat, she swung her yoyo, ready to deflect any attacks. “Any info on him?”  
Nodding, Chat took a defensive stance. “He calls himself Le Brute. His whips seem to make whoever he touches feel insecure or something. Everyone ends up depressed or crying.”  
She frowned at that. “So don’t let his whips touch you, got it. I think his Akuma is in his bag. If you use your cataclysm, it should do the trick.”

“Enough talk!” Le Brute huffed, sending several whips at them. “I’ll be taking your Miraculous now.”  
Ladybug paused at his words, staring at him in confusion. How did he know about the Miraculous?  
Chat growled from beside her, and he slashed the whips away. “As if! Nobody’s taking away my Miraculous!”   
He rushed forward before Ladybug could even react, slashing his staff downwards to strike at Le Brute’s head. Chuckling, Le Brute sent several whips to wrap around Chat's waist, lifting him up into the air. “Did you really think it’d be that easy? What a pathetic hero.”   
Red light began to surround Chat, and Ladybug whipped out her yoyo. It wrapped itself around the whips and she pulled with all of her strength, throwing a shocked Le Brute against the building. “Don't touch him!” She yelled, hurrying to check on her partner.

Chat was on all fours, trembling a little. Kneeling next to him, she placed her hand on his shoulder, watching as he wiped his cheeks. “Are you okay?” She asked softly. 

It took him a moment to respond, his eyes glazed over as he fought off whatever magic Le Brute had used. Nodding, he sniffled before looking up, his eyes watery. “Y-yeah, you stopped him before he could do too much.. Thanks M’Lady.”  
Smiling softly, she shook her head, turning to face Le Brute, who was groaning as he stood to his feet. “Don't thank me yet Chat, we still have work to do!” 

Rising to his feet, Chat sniffed once more before nodding. “Right. After all, I can't let him get to the Eiffel Tower.”  
Glancing at the tower, Kim laughed. “The tower? Is that where you hid her you mangy cat? Thanks for the tip.” He broke into a run, and Ladybug gasped as she hurried to race after him.

“Chat!” Ladybug looked back in disbelief. How could he just let that information get out?

“I’m sorry! It slipped out on accident!” he wailed as he raced alongside her. 

Huffing in frustration, she threw her yoyo high into the air, summoning her lucky charm. After barely a moment passed, she was holding a skateboard and was swinging again, looking down at the tool. “A skateboard?” she muttered in confusion. “Chat can you skate?”  
The blond thought for a moment before shaking his head. “Nope! You?”  
Shaking her head as well, she frowned, trying to swing straight while also carrying the skateboard. The Eiffel Tower grew closer and closer as they struggled to catch up to Le Brute. She could see Alix’s pink hair somewhere close to the bottom of the tower, and it seemed Le Brute noticed that too. 

“There you are!” He yelled victoriously, using the whips to propel himself up to where she was. A moment later and Ladybug threw herself to the level Alix was at, landing sloppily and barely catching herself from eating it on the metal floor. Pain flared up in her ankles, and she winced. That was definitely not gonna be fun to fight with. She managed to get there just before Le Brute did, and the villain stared at her in disbelief.   
“What? How did?!” he looked back to where she had been, growling as he turned back to face her. Chuckling, he shrugged his shoulders, taking a fighting stance. “Fine then, who cares if you beat me here. I’ll still get my prey one way or another!” With that, he launched several whips at her and Alix. Her yoyo spun to life in her hand, and she moved in front of Alix as she tore apart the tendrils.

“You can’t have her!” She yelled as she took a more defensive position, watching as Chat launched himself up to where they were.

Le Brute followed her eyes, and she could have sworn that she saw something purple glow in front of his eyes before he grabbed a hold of Chat with his whips. Her partner yelped as he was suddenly grabbed, and he flailed his limbs. “W-what are you doing?! Put me down!” Ladybug stared in horror as Le Brute turned to her, a victorious smirk on his lips.   
“Come on Ladybug, you have a simple choice to make. Give me your Miraculous and Alix, and I’ll give you back the stray without too much mental trauma.” The tendrils that held Chat began to glow, and he cried out as he tried to free himself.

“Ladybug! Help!” He cried out, his tail stiffening as his green eyes glossed over, staring at nothing. His tan skin grew pale as the veiny red marks covered his suit, and he let out a sob.   
“What are you doing to him?” She screamed as she watched in horror. 

“Who, me?” He asked innocently. “I’m just letting him see his most painful memory. I don’t know what your mangy cat is seeing, but it has to be bad if a superhero is scared. So what's it gonna be, Bug? Your Miraculous, or Kitty goes over the ledge after having his worst nightmare.” Grinning, he held Chat high above the rail, and she gasped. 

Alix stomped her way to Ladybug’s side, her eyes shining with anger. “You really stooped that low?!” She yelled. “You’re more pathetic than I thought.”  
Suddenly an idea popped into Ladybug’s mind, and she handed the skateboard to Alix. the smaller girl looked up in confusion, but took it anyways. “Alright, alright you win, just.. Don’t hurt him,” she said softly. 

Surprise quickly turned into smug satisfaction. “Good choice. Now, hand it over.”  
Hanging her head in defeat, she made her way over to him, stopping just in front of him. She lifted her hands to grab her earrings, only to whip out her yoyo and slash through the whips tying Chat. “Alix!” she yelled. “Grab his bag! Hurry!” With a flick of her wrist, her yoyo caught Chat, and she yanked him towards her, leaping in the air to catch him, kicking Le Brute in the process as she tried to get him off balance. 

As Le Brute gasped and stumbled, Alix jumped on the skateboard, speeding to the villain and snatching his bag from his side. “No!” he growled as he reached to try and grab the bag, only for Alix to swerve out of his reach, sticking her tongue out at him. 

“Ya snooze ya lose! Ladybug, catch!” Alix launched the bag at her, and Chat Noir snapped out of it just in time to summon his power and turn the bag to dust as he caught it in his claws. 

Setting him down gently, Ladybug stood up tall, watching as the butterfly rose from the dust to the sky. Her yoyo began to glow, and she threw the toy into the air, capturing the butterfly. After a moment, the light vanished, and she opened it with a single touch of her finger. The yoyo snapped open with a silvery glow, and a white butterfly fluttered harmlessly out towards Paris.

Turning to Alix, Ladybug offered a small smile and walked over to the smaller girl. “Thank you Alix, we couldn’t have done this without you. I’m afraid I need that back though.”  
Looking down at her feet, Alix blushed and chuckled. “Too bad, it’s a cool skateboard.” She stepped on one end of the board and caught it in her hand, offering it to the superhero. “Here you go Ladybug.”

Taking the skateboard, she walked out to the edge of the platform. Once there was nothing but the open sky above her, she tossed the skateboard high into the air. The board glowed a brilliant white, and dissolved into thousands of ladybugs, which burst like a firework and scattered across Paris. There wasn’t much damage to fix this time, the ladybugs instead focusing on the people affected by Le Brute’s power. A few Ladybugs remained, surrounding Le Brute himself, and returning him to Kim’s natural form. 

Ladybug watched in awe as the Ladybug’s worked, only snapping out of it as her earrings began to beep, reminding her of how little time she had left before her transformation fell. Looking at Chat, she offered an apologetic smile. “I have to go, can you make sure they get home safely?”  
Bowing, he looked up with an amused smirk. “Only if I can see you again later tonight.”  
Laughing, Ladybug nodded. “I did make a promise after all, meet me at the top of the tower?”  
“I can’t wait,” he purred, his tail flicking back and forth happily behind him.   
“Bye Chat!” Waving to him, she hurried away to find a safe place to detransform.

. . . .

Alix watched as Ladybug swung away, looking over at Chat and giving him a look over. Chat caught her eye and flashed a grin at her. “See? Everything turned out okay! Now let's go get you two back to school.”  
Frowning, she crossed her arms. This mangy cat had hardly done anything in the fight to help ladybug. Even though he helped get her to safety, she didn’t necessarily care to let him carry her back to school. “I’m fine. Besides, shouldn’t you run along before you turn back?”  
The Hero’s smile faltered, and when he went to reply, he was interrupted by the beeping of his ring. “Y-yeah.. You’re right. Will you two be okay?”  
“We’ll be fine! I’ll keep us safe.”   
Alix cringed as she heard Kim behind her, but she nodded in agreement. Kim was better than a wannabe hero at least. 

The blond looked at both of them for a moment, his tail swishing a little behind him. Shrugging, he nodded and hopped onto the rail. “Your choice, see ya!” He fell from the rail, his back to the ground. Gasping, her and Kim ran over to the rail, relaxing as they saw him swinging his baton like a helicopter as he lowered himself to the ground. 

“That cat better have nine lives,” she sighed, slumping against the rail.

Kim chuckled at that. “So what happened anyways? Did another monster show up?”  
Blinking in surprise, Alix looked up at him. “You’re joking right?”  
Raising an eyebrow, he shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “I think I’d remember going with my best-I mean.. With you, to the Eiffel Tower.”  
He didn't remember any of it? How could he not remember any of it? Taking in a deep breath, Alix pulled him away from the rail. “Kim.. What's the last thing you remember?”  
Frowning, Kim looked out at Paris in thought. “The last thing… Was you yelling at me.. You told me to have a nice life, and then I was here.” His eyes widened in horror, and his arm slowly fell. “It happened to me, didn't it? I turned into something like Ivan.”  
Lowering her gaze, she slowly nodded her head. “Y-yeah… You were after me.”  
Gasping, he leaned down, placing his hands on her arms. “Did I hurt you? What did I do? Are you okay?”  
Looking up in surprise, it shocked her to see how scared and concerned he was. His brown eyes were scanning her up and down, trying to spot any injuries. After a moment she shook her head. “N-No, you didn't. You weren’t really destructive… You called yourself A Brute, and you made everyone see something they were scared of, to make them feel sad.. You were a bully.”  
His eyes started to water, and he stumbled backwards, leaning against the metal fixtures and sitting down, his hands gripping his hair. His shoulders started to shake, and he stared blankly at the ground. “N-No..” He gasped. “I.. I would never hurt anyone! I can’t remember.. What did I make them see?” Hurrying to kneel in front of him, she took his hands in hers, pulling them away from his hair. “I don’t know. Even if you didn’t know. You weren’t yourself Kim, it wasn’t you, just like Ivan wasn’t that rock giant.”  
His lip started to quiver, and he squeezed his eyes shut as tears began to fall down his cheeks. “B-but.. It was still me who did all of it, and I don’t remember any of it!” He cried out. “Alix, Alix I’m so sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone. Not Ivan, not you, no one! I didn’t think anyone would get hurt, I didn’t know, I’m sorry!”

Her gaze softened as she saw him cry, and she moved to sit beside him. “Kim… I’m sorry for what I said. What you did was wrong, but… I did go too far.”  
Shaking his head, he wiped his cheeks as he tried to stop the flow of tears streaming down his cheeks. “No.. No you were right.. I went too far with Ivan, I was being a jerk.. I’ll.. I’ll try to better, I promise. I’ll apologize to him.. To everyone I hurt.”

The two sat in silence for a few moments, letting Kim slowly calm down and take in the reality of what he did, and how to go about it from here. After a few minutes though, Alix started to fidget, and she let out a loud sigh, pushing herself to her feet. "Come on crybaby, lets get back to school. I'll go with you if you want, when you apologize to Ivan."  
Looking up at her, Kim snorted, and stood up as well, taking another second or two to wipe his cheeks with his hands. "Alright. At least I know you'll hit me if I say something wrong."  
"Of course I will. It's my job to help sort you out after all. Now come on, lets get out of here." Playfully shoving him with her elbow, she led the way to the elevator, smiling as he stood beside her. The ride down was quiet, but peaceful. The bond that had been torn was mended once more, a friendship stronger than it had been when they woke up that morning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I know its been ages since I updated this, but I was struggling to figure out how to end this chapter.. And then today I wrote like two sentences and decided "Huh yeah this works," lol. This is a longer chapter though so I hope it makes up for the insanely long wait! It was about eight pages i think. Anyways, I thought it would be fun to explore different Akumas, to create my own plotlines instead of just following the episode orders and stuff. I wanted to get a little creative with it, so I made Le Brute, which means "the bully" in french. Not very original, but it works. I started this chapter months ago, but I was really struggling to write Alix and Kim reconsiling. I decided that they probably wouldn't linger on their feelings long, as Alix isn't really the talkative or emotional type, so she would just go "Okay haha thats enough crying come onloser lets go race." Which is kind of why I ended it so abruptly. Next chapter I'm planning on less Akuma and more focus on Ladybug and Chat!  
Let me know what you think about this chapter, and thank you for reading! Leave a review maybe?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading my fic! I started writing this a while ago, but I have a lot planned for this! I promise that this fic won't just be a rewriting of every single episode. The first few chapters will set up the main plot, because i am NOT planning on continuing the canon plot. This is an AU, and it'll be revealed in a few chapters ^^  
Leave a comment maybe?


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